Horse’s Mouth, The

Alec Guinness personally took the blame for this commercial flop, having written the story of maverick modern artist Gulley Jimson for himself to play. It’s a shame he thought it was a failure, as it may be slight compared to the likes of The Ladykillers, but it’s a lovely companion piece to Hancock’s The Rebel, with Jimson taking over a rich couple’s house to paint his masterpiece mural (like Hancock’s artist, he’s foot-obsessed) while his sculpting partner in crime takes advantage of the free studio space, lowering huge blocks of stone through the skylight, and eventually the floor. In the end, the whole house is brought down, leaving only the mural. Symbolic, Sir Alec? Whatever, anything that has a go at the Lust For Life tortured artist cinema cliche is fine by us, and Guinness, even in a minor film, is still remarkably good for you.